The Amazing Crafty Cat

April 24, 2017
In an entry-level graphic novel, Harper (the Just Grace series) dives into the mind of Birdie, a quirky worrier who loves to imagine herself as a resourceful feline alter ego, “Crafty Cat.” Birdie wants a perfect birthday, but she drops her box of panda cupcakes on the way to school. The story zigzags in and out of reality, with Birdie envisioning how future events might unfold. Harper’s line art helps distinguish what’s happening inside Birdie’s mind versus what’s actually happening, yet the story is simultaneously tricky to track and absent much of a plot. For those who share Birdie’s enthusiasm for crafting, instructions for several projects are included. Ages 6–10. Agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency.

February 15, 2017
When disaster derails Birdie's birthday plans, the little girl's alter ego, Crafty Cat, saves the day.Birdie trips on the way to school, smashing her birthday cupcakes all over her dress. Now she's a mess and she has nothing to share with her classmates. What to do? Quickly changing into Crafty Cat, she turns the mess on her dress into a sugary map of North America before turning back into Birdie. But she still doesn't have anything to share. Birdie's grandfather shows up with un-cupcakelike replacements: black olives and cottage cheese. When all seems bleak, Birdie's alter ego comes up with the perfect idea: a birthday craft. While Birdie plans her craft, readers see class bully Anya eating way too many olives. It's hard to feel too much glee at her comeuppance, because Anya has not really done anything particularly despicable outside of Birdie's imagination in the first 97 pages and therefore is not fundamentally unlikable. Harper's art is reliably enjoyable to peruse--when Birdie is daydreaming, Harper uses green curved lines as the borders, while reality is depicted in stark black outlines. But this cannot save the story's pacing and credibility problems; there are too many pages between moments of action, and missing a birthday treat just doesn't seem calamitous, even for these evidently rather sheltered white children. Even craft-happy readers will wish for a believable plot, especially one where the good guys and bad guys are more dramatically constructed. (Graphic fiction. 7-10)

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March 1, 2017

Gr 1-4-How does one navigate the terrain of school, with its tricky fraction worksheets and class bullies? For Birdie, the answer is through crafts. With the help of her imaginary alter ego, the Amazing Crafty Cat, Birdie is able to prepare for the perfect birthday. She has made enough panda cupcakes for everyone in class (even Anya, the class bully), she has a beautiful dress, and the weather is lovely. Everything is perfect-until disaster strikes. On the walk to school, Birdie trips and all the cupcakes fall to the ground, and after she calls home for help, her grandfather shows up with olives and cottage cheese instead of dessert. Luckily, Birdie "transforms" (no one else is aware of her pretend metamorphosis) into an anthropomorphic feline to save the day using crafts. Harper effectively captures the highs and lows of grade school. Reminiscent of a child's doodles, the digitally rendered illustrations are artful while engagingly playful; they move the narrative forward and add some visual humor to the already funny text. The book also includes six easy DIY projects that will appeal to would-be Crafty Cats. VERDICT A charming addition to early reader graphic novel collections and a solid option for young crafters and fans of the author.-John Trischitti, Midland County Public Libraries, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017
Grades 2-5 This adorable comics series starts with the introduction of Birdie's alter-egosuper, problem-solving, scissor-and glue-wielding Crafty Cat. It's Birdie's birthday, and she's excited to share some panda-themed cupcakes she baked for her classmates. Disaster strikes when she trips and falls on her way to school, ruining her cupcakes and soiling her dress. It's up to Crafty Cat to come up with a solution. Harper's style is not your conventional comics panel layout. A page is often a mixture of simple panels, captions, dialogue, and independent drawings that all interact with each other. Doodles of clouds and flowers make comments and chit chat with Birdie, and she often responds to captions or narration. This outside-the-box volume is a great example of the breadth of possibilities in sequential-art narrative. For an extra treat, the back of the book is chock-full of awesome craft ideas and even a cupcake decorating tutorial, so readers can play just like Birdie. Hand to fans of Janet Tashjian's Sticker Girl (2016).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Panda-obsessed Birdie's sunny alter ego, Crafty Cat, has an artistic (and usually panda-centric) solution to any mundane problem. Crafty Cat comes in handy at school when Birdie's birthday goes haywire. Thick-lined, mostly black-and-white panel drawings give way to pastel greens and browns in Birdie's more imaginative moments. The simplicity of the illustrations complements the sometimes-absurd humor, including the mock-didactic narration. Craft instructions are appended.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)